


A Dozen Ways I Showed My Love For You

by gayspacepilots



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, The Sulu Family, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-12 11:26:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10489863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayspacepilots/pseuds/gayspacepilots
Summary: A collection of short, fluffy chapters surrounding Hikaru and Ben and their family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based off of [gladers's](http://gladers.co.vu) headcanons that can be found [here](http://gladers.co.vu/post/149383817127/hikaru-and-ben-really-do-need-more-love-them-and). I'm sorry it took me so long to get this uploaded, I hope that it's worth it and you all enjoy it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikaru loves to dance he dances all the time nothing can stop him and Ben likes to watch him.

Ben doesn’t know where Hikaru gets it, his incredible grace when he dances. At first, he thinks it’s a side effect from being raised in the same household as Yuki. But as Ben quickly discovers, Yuki never had any interest in dancing, only in engineering.

_“Hey, Yuki,” Ben began, hesitantly._

_“Yeah Ben?” She asked, turning around to face him._

_“I was wondering… do you… did you teach Hikaru to dance?”_

_Yuki snickered before she burst out laughing. “Me? Are you kidding? Me?” She cackled, “I can’t even do jazz hands without messing that up. And you think I taught Hikaru to dance?”_

_Ben now felt super self conscious. “Well… I just thought that… I wanted to know how… how Hikaru learned to dance so beautifully.” He admitted._

_“Hey, it’s okay,” Yuki cooed, giving one of Ben’s hands a light squeeze. “I can understand your confusion,” She smiled, “But Hiki did not learn how to dance from me.”_

 

After that, Ben wonders if Hikaru’s mother taught him dancing, as a young boy. But that wasn’t true either. He was stunned when he learned that Hikaru was just a natural dancer. He never had a lesson in his life, but the man could dance like he spent his whole life perfecting it.

_“So how did he learn to dance?”_

_“He’s a natural dancer,” Yuki answered._

_“He’s a what?” Ben asked, confused._

_“A natural dancer,” Yuki repeated, “He just can dance really well without being taught and without knowing.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_Yuki smiled, staring off into the distance. “Hikaru, he doesn’t realize how much he dances. He dances more than he walks. It’s second nature for him, which is why he doesn’t notice when he’s dancing. He just dances,” Yuki explained, “And if someone joins him, even better.”_

_“So he just loves dancing,” Ben simplified, “Even if he doesn’t realize it.”_

_“Yeah, that’s exactly it,” Yuki confirmed, standing up from her chair to leave the room. She stopped to pop her head back in to add, “May I offer a piece of advice?”_

_“Yeah, of course.”_

_“Go dance with him,” She murmured, “You will see a whole new side of him and yourself if you dance with him and it will make both of you, incredibly happy.”_

And that’s exactly what Ben did. From that day on, whenever Ben was in the same room as Hikaru, he would pull him into a dance. Ben would let his feet carry the two of them throughout their apartment. He would never forget how happy Hikaru was when he first swept him off his feet.

_Hikaru was in the middle of stirring a pan of sauce for dinner when Ben wrapped his arms around Hikaru’s middle._

_“You’re cute,” He murmured into Hikaru’s ear, turning his husband around. “Dance with me,” He murmured again, pulling Hikaru into a poor waltz._

_Hikaru laughed against Ben’s neck. “You’re pretty cute too,” He smiled._

_They danced for what seemed like an eternity, dancing from the dining room to the living room, the bedroom to the kitchen. Ben beamed whenever Hikaru would whisper sweet nothings into his ear and Hikaru would giggle when Ben made a trail of kisses down his neck._

_“This reminds me of our wedding,” Ben breathed._

_“Yeah,” He smiled, reaching up to kiss Ben, “You looked so beautiful in your suit.”_

_“Not as beautiful as your dancing,” Ben hummed._

_“My dancing?” Hikaru asked, slightly confused._

_Ben hummed in response._

_“I’m not a dancer, Ben,” Hikaru denied._

_Ben laughed, “Then what are we doing right now?”_

_Hikaru did not answer._

_“We’re dancing, baby,” Ben spoke, kissing Hikaru’s lips._

_“But I-”_

_“‘Ru,” Ben soothed, “You are an amazing dancer. You dance all the time, whether you realize it or not. You’re always dancing; sometimes it’s in the kitchen and you’re boucning on your feet and swinging your arms. Other times, you will be dancing while you water the greenhouse plants.” Ben stopped to bring Hikaru into a warm embrace, “You’re always dancing.”_

_“Really?” Hikaru asked, baffled._

_Ben smiled, giving Hikaru a smooch, “It’s one of the many things I love about you.”_

_Upon Ben saying this, Hikaru was reduced to a blushing mess._

_“Wow,” He exhaled, “I had no idea I danced so much.”_

_“It’s beautiful,” Ben whispered, “I love watching you dance.”_

_“Maybe I should make a habit of dancing with you, so that I’m not always dancing alone,” Hikaru chuckled._

_Ben smiled, “I’ll always join you, Hikaru.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben kills every plant that he touches and after one weekend that ended with Hikaru’s garden being half ruined, it’s mutually decided that he won’t step foot in the greenhouse again.

_ “I’m sorry, ‘Ru...” _

They had a mutual agreement that Ben was not allowed in Hikaru’s garden. It all started when Hikaru left for a short trip on the Enterprise, but he returned to an unfortunate surprise, his garden was destroyed by his flustered boyfriend.

_ “Okay, you can do it, Ben,” Ben thought to himself, “It’s just a couple of plants. How hard could they be to take care of?” _

It was very hard.

_ Ben kneeled next to the large garden that Hikaru had been working on for 18 years. He ran his fingers over the top of the soil. “Well, it isn’t dry... but it isn’t wet.” He frowned at the plants until he shrugged with a, “I’m sure they’ll be fine if I water them some more.” _

No they won’t.

_ He grabbed the garden hose and began to water the garden. The water quickly spread across the garden, showering each of the plants in their backyard. “Okay, this isn’t so bad,” Ben smiled, “This is easy, I’ve got this!”  _

 

* * *

__

_ Two weeks later, Ben was feeling a lot better about himself. After he watered Hikaru plants, he felt amazing that he successfully took care of all Hikaru's plants. He had been watering them regularly and he was pleased that the plants were doing very well. _

_ Unfortunately, that feeling was crushed as soon as Ben stepped outside and saw Hikaru’s once successful garden, now on the verge of death. _

_ “Oh no, no, no, no, no!” Ben pleaded, running to the plant's aid. “Uhh, shit...” He mumbled, “What do I do? What did I do?” Completely puzzled, Ben looked up a plant forum, desperately trying to find out what he did wrong. _

“Waterlogged.”

_ “Oh,” Ben let out, looking up at the garden. “You know, it’s not that bad,” He thought sarcastically, “It’s only Hikaru’s prized possession. What he’s been working on and perfecting his entire life.” Ben ran his hands down his face, panicking. “Oh, what am I going to do?” He cried, “He’s going to kill me...” _

 

* * *

__

“I’m not mad, Ben,” Hikaru cooed, pulling his boyfriend into a large hug.

“You’re not?” Ben asked, confused.

“No.”

“But I killed your garden,” Ben argued, breaking out of the hug and kneeling at the ashes of his husband's vast greenhouse.

Hikaru smiled and kneeled in front of his garden. He ran his hands over one of his succulents, which was a rather foul shade of grey, instead of it’s usual red. “Then I’ll make a new garden,” Hikaru hummed.

“So, are we okay then?” Ben asked, hesitantly, looking extremely nervous.

Hikaru stood up and gave Ben a small kiss. “Yes,” He answered, “Everything will be fine.”   


The two men turned, exited the greenhouse and opened the door to their two-story home. “But let’s agree that you need a walkthrough on gardening before I leave you alone with my plants again, okay?” Hikaru spoke, half jokingly, half seriously.  


“Okay.”  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has a pleasure point behind his ear that makes him melt and anytime he’s working too hard, Hikaru just kisses him there and he melts.

Hikaru discovers it very early into their relationship; the pleasure point behind Ben’s ear. He found it after a long study session at the Academy. Hikaru was studying for his midterms and Ben was working on a long project for his creative writing class.

_“AAAHH!” Ben let out, shaking his hands above his head, “My head feels like it’s being crushed.”_

_“Ben, sweetie, we can take a break,” He soothed, putting Ben’s PADD to the side and sitting in Ben’s lap._

_“But I need to-”_

_“Shhh,” Hikaru hushed, nuzzling Ben’s neck. “You need to take a break, baby.”_

_He wrapped his arms around Ben’s waist and kissed his boyfriend all over, his cheeks, his lips, his jaw and his neck. But when Hikaru moved to a point behind Ben’s ear, the man shivered in Hikaru’s arms._

_“Oh my god,” Ben sighed._

_“Are you okay?” Hikaru asked quietly._

_“Please do that again,” Ben requested._

_Hikaru chuckled, before continuing with Ben’s pleasure point. They got so distracted, Hikaru almost failed his midterms._

 

* * *

 

From that day on, whenever Ben was stressed or having a panic attack, he would use his ear pleasure point to calm and relax Ben. It never failed.

“You’ve been writing for hours, sweetie,” Hikaru mumbled, exhausted, “Come to bed with me.”

Ben groaned in response, not moving from his desk.

“Beeeen!” Hikaru let out, tugging at Ben’s arm.

Ben sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“Don’t make me do it,” He warned, “Because I will.”

“Oh please don’t,” Ben whined.

“Too late,” Hikaru answered, leaning in to kiss the spot behind Ben’s ear.

Ben practically melted on the spot. Which allowed Hikaru to pull Ben into bed and give Ben a break from his latest book.

“Thank you, ‘Ru,” Ben mumbled a few minutes later, with a tired Hikaru cuddling him.

Hikaru hummed what sounded like a quiet, “You’re welcome,” back to him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demora calls Ben ‘Appa’ and Hikaru ‘Daddy’.

Neither Hikaru nor Ben know where Demora picked it up, but they both think it’s adorable how she calls Ben, Appa. When she first said it, they both thought she had said apple. But after a lot of repetition and frantic pointing at Ben, they realized she was saying Appa, not apple. Hikaru almost wishes that he had something different, something other than ‘Daddy’. But that thought immediately goes away whenever Hikaru hears her giggle, “Daddy.”

“Appa!” Demora squealed, with her arms outstretched, “Appa! Up! Up!”

Ben can’t resist as a huge smile spreads across Demora’s face; only her front two teeth have come in and it makes his heart sing.

Ben lifts her into the air with ease and gives her a quick kiss on her cheeks. “I love you Dem,” He murmurs, “Can you say that? Can you say, ‘I love you Appa?’”

Demora looks at him, confused. As if trying to figure out what Ben just said.

“I love Appa?” Ben tried again.

“Lowve Appa?” She gurgles quietly.

Ben thinks his heart just stopped.

“What did you say Dem?” He asks in disbelief, “Did you say ‘love Appa?’”

“Lowve Appa.” She gurgles again.

 

And Ben bursts into tears, so loudly that Hikaru runs in from the kitchen, concerned and confused. “What’s going on?” Hikaru asks.

Ben gives a shaky smile, “Dem, Demi say it. Say it again, sweetie.”

“Lowve Appa.” She repeats, looking from Ben to Hikaru and back to Ben.

Hikaru beams and wraps his arms around the two of them. He places a series of gentle kisses to her forehead. “Oh Dem, baby,” He coos, kissing her temples, “That’s amazing. That’s amazing, sweetheart.”

“We love you sweetpea,” Ben cries, pressing his forehead against Demora’s. He pulls back for a brief moment to murmur, “Can you say ‘love Daddy?’”

“Can you do that sweetie? Can you say ‘love Daddy?” Hikaru repeats, “‘Love Daddy?’”

“Lowve...addy,” She slurs and Hikaru has never been more proud. He lifts her into his own arms and nuzzles against the top of her head; drawing a laughing fit out of her.

“I love you too, Demi,” Hikaru whispers, giving her small right hand a light squeeze.

“We love you...”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the beginning of their relationship, Ben was a hot mess that always forgot to buy groceries.

“Okay, for dinner tonight… we’re having,” Hikaru paused while he opened the fridge, “Milk, salad dressing and onions.”

Hikaru turned around to scowl at Ben.

“Sorry ‘Ru,” Ben apologized, giving his irritated boyfriend a kiss, “I’m not used to having to feed two people.”

“So you survived on salad dressing for 2 years before I moved in?” Hikaru asked, raising one of his eyebrows. 

“I mostly ordered food from a little Korean restaurant, a few minutes off of my university campus.” Ben explained, “They had really good food at a really good price.”

“Oh, okay,” Hikaru spoke quietly, “That’s a lot better than eating salad dressing and onions for dinner everyday.”

“We could order some tonight,” Ben singsung, slinging his arms around Hikaru’s waist.

“That sounds great,” Hikaru hummed, “But after dinner, we’re going shopping because we need groceries.”

Ben sighed, “Fine...”

 

* * *

 

 

“Hikaru?”

Hikaru hummed in response.

“What’s the difference between arugula, spinach and kale?” Ben asked, confused, “And which one do we want?”

Hikaru sighed, rubbing his temples,  _ “How has this man survived on his own?” _

“We want the arugula,” Hikaru answered, not in the mood to explain the difference between the greens. 

“Okay,” Ben answered, his eyes trailing over the salad greens. “Do we want the giant rainbow leaf things?” Ben asked, pointing at the collection of Swiss Chard.

Hikaru face palmed as he rushed to get the rest of the produce they needed before guiding Ben away from the various different fruits and vegetables. “If I didn’t know any better,” Hikaru begun, reaching up to grab a box of crackers and several boxes of cereal. “I would say that, you’ve never been to a grocery store.”

Ben laughed awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yeah, I don’t do a lot of shopping,” He explained, putting an armload of pasta into their grocery cart.

“Why not?” Hikaru asked, curious, as he pushed their cart down the next aisle. 

“I just never had enough credits,” Ben sighed, putting two bags and a large box of rice into their cart. “I had to pay for my education and my rent.” 

Hikaru didn’t say anything. He let himself feel an overwhelming amount of guilt as he moved the cart into the dairy section to grab some cheese from the fridges.

“I often didn’t have enough credits left to pay for fresh ingredients.” Ben finished, leaning against the cart while Hikaru grabbed the milk. 

“Well, I’m going to make you the best meal ever when we get home,” Hikaru smiled when he returned to the cart.

“‘Ru, you don’t have to-”

“I’m going to make you something to make up for the years you didn’t have all these groceries,” Hikaru beamed, gesturing to the food in their cart.

Ben chuckled lightly. _“How can I argue with that?”_ He thought to himself.  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikaru sleeps in Ben’s shirts.

It drives Ben nuts. Seeing his boyfriend, walking around their apartment in nothing, but his own shirts. Hikaru looks a bit ridiculous, his slender frame, engulfed by Ben’s extra large dress shirts and his bare legs extending from the bottom of Ben’s shirt.

The first time Ben saw Hikaru wearing his shirt, Hikaru was making breakfast… which was a first.

_“Morning sweetie,” Hikaru hummed when Ben walked into the kitchen._

_Ben froze. “What are you wearing?” He asked, stunned._

_“One of your shirts,” Hikaru answered plainly, “I found it in your closet.”_

_Ben was silent._

_“Why… do you like it?” Hikaru murmured, turning away from the frying pan to face Ben._

_Ben gulped before he grabbed Hikaru’s arm and dragged him back to their bedroom. They were so occupied that they didn’t notice or care when they burnt their breakfast._  

 

* * *

 

Usually, Hikaru was kind enough to only wear Ben’s shirts when they were at home, alone. But Hikaru would tease Ben from time to time. Not very often, he didn’t want Ben to be uncomfortable and Ben had admitted he liked when Hikaru teased him. But Ben was still caught off guard when Hikaru decided to wear one of Ben’s shirts to a dinner with Hikaru’s friends.

_“Oh please ‘Ru,” Ben groaned, “Please don’t wear that!”_

_“But I look so good in it,” Hikaru countered, loosely tucking Ben’s shirt into his pants._

_“Hikaru, your friends know we’re dating. They know we’re sleeping together and they know that we are super gay!” Ben spoke before turning Hikaru around to face him. “They don’t need to see you wearing my shirts.”_

_“If you really don’t want me to wear it, I won’t,” Hikaru murmured, standing on his toes to kiss Ben._

_“I do. I do want you to wear it, but... ”_

_“You think they will feel weird about seeing me in my boyfriend’s shirts?” Hikaru finished._

_“Yeah...”_

_Hikaru laughed, “Really? You think they will be weirded out by that? Pavel is a Russian who hates Vodka and drinks Scotch. Scotty was almost kicked out of Starfleet for beaming an Admiral’s beagle into space. Spock gave Nyota a tracking device as a necklace. Bones literally left Earth and went into space because he got divorced. Kirk got into a fistfight with Spock, was abandoned on Delta Vega and met another Spock. And Nyota speaks over 32 different languages… well, that’s not really weird, but it is amazing...”_

_“Okay, maybe it’s a bit ridiculous to think that they would be weirded out after all that,” Ben chuckled. “Okay, you can wear the shirt.”_

_Hikaru smiled, “Yes! Alright let’s go!”_

_“We’re already late!”_

 

* * *

 

Ben decided that it wouldn’t be so bad if Hikaru wore pants, or at least boxers, with his shirts. Something about seeing Hikaru, mostly naked, wearing only his shirt, was breathtaking. It didn’t help that Hikaru quickly realized this weakness of Ben’s and used it against him at every opportunity.

_“Hey Ben,” Hikaru purred._

_Ben turned around to find Hikaru standing in the bedroom doorway._

_“Oh no,” Ben muttered to himself._

_“Hikaru I-”_

_“Shhh, why don’t we practice our… fencing?” Hikaru whispered as he sat in Ben’s lap._

_“Hikaru, we just… practiced our fencing. We don’t need to do any more today.” Ben spoke, rubbing at his eyes._

_“Well, we don’t need to, but it’s so much fun,” Hikaru answered, “And you’re the best fencing partner I’ve ever had.”_

_Ben sighed, “I will, if you will stop with the fencing and ‘crossing swords’ metaphors and puns.”_

_Hikaru grinned wildly. “Deal!” He cheered, sealing their mouths together._

_Ben could never resist Hikaru when he was wearing his shirts._


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One day, Ben was in a rush and puts on Hikaru’s underwear and spends the entire day uncomfortable because Hikaru’s boxers are way too small for him.

Ben shot up, the blankets heaping at his hips. Turning to the alarm clock, that he forgot to set, it read 08:37.

“Shit!” Ben cursed, launching himself out from the covers. He had only thirteen minutes until he would be late for work. He quickly pulled of his pajamas and opened the dresser. Grabbing the first pair of boxer briefs, he quickly pulled them on, not noticing how tight they were. He opened the next drawer and stumbled into a pair of pants, followed by a collared shirt that he buttoned up on the way to the kitchen. He replicated himself a coffee and a small lunch before he dashed out the door.

He made it to work just in time, he was seconds from being classified as late. He rushed to his lab before his boss could call on his tardiness. When he sat down at his desk, he struggled to catch his breath, as he organized his things to begin his day.

 

* * *

 

Ben was only 2 hours into his day when he started to feel a little uncomfortable. _“Huh… that’s odd.”_ He thought to himself.

He shrugged off the thought, wiggling in his seat before he continued with his testing research. Ten minutes later, Ben shuffled in his seat again, trying to get comfortable. “What is going on?” He asked quietly, scratching at his hips, which felt like they were about to explode.

He tried desperately to ignore the tight, uncomfortable feeling, but he simply could not concentrate with the discomfort. “Maybe it’s the chair?” He mumbled, standing up and moving to the chair in front of his plant specimens. “Ahh,” He sighed, “Much better...”

He was fine for fifteen minutes until the feeling came back again. Gritting his teeth, he stood up and made his way to the bathroom.

_“Maybe my legs are just sore and they need a break...”_

 

Stepping into the bathroom, he locked the door behind him, thankful that this was only a one person bathroom. He pulled down his pants, trying to figure out why his legs hurt so much. He looked down and…

“Oh,” Ben let out, “Well, that makes a lot of sense.”

Hugging his legs, were a pair of boxer briefs with the words, ‘Starfleet’s Best Pilot’ written on them.

“I’m wearing Hikaru’s underwear...” He sighed as he pulled up his pants, “Okay, well that explains everything. I can’t believe he owns these...”

As he walked back to his lab, he had one last thought, “I need to talk to Hikaru about his underwear choices.”

 

* * *

 

Eight hours later, after the most uncomfortable day for Ben, he finally could return home. He stumbled into the door, intending to change immediately. But he was stopped by Hikaru.

“Hey sweetie,” Hikaru greeted with a kiss, “How was your day?”

“Uncomfortable,” Ben answered, squeezing past Hikaru and entering their bedroom.

“Aww,” Hikaru cooed, “What happened? Why were you uncomfortable?”

Ben whipped around to face Hikaru.

“Because of these,” He answered, pulling down his pants and pointing at the underwear.

Hikaru smirked, “Oooo, you wore those all day? Wow, that’s-”

“I didn’t intentionally wear them all day,” Ben interrupted, “I was late and I didn’t have time to properly get ready and I threw them on without realizing.”

“Oh!” Hikaru let out, his expression changing instantly. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to...” He trailed off.

Ben sighed, “I know you didn’t mean to and it’s not your fault. I put on the wrong clothes and that’s all on me. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

“I just feel bad that you were uncomfortable all day because you had to wear those,” Hikaru admitted, walking over to the dresser to grab a pair of Ben’s boxers.

“Thanks,” Ben mumbled when Hikaru handed them to him. He just barely made the swap when he spoke again, “And by the way, why do you own those?”

Hikaru looked confused, “Why? You don’t like them?”

“If you mean for me, they’re way too small for me,” Ben chuckled lightly. “If you mean for you, then I think they’re very corny and a little unnecessary. But if they make you happy, then that’s all that matters.”

“I got them when I was in the Academy,” Hikaru explained, “I think it was a gag gift for my birthday. At the time, I was a broke college kid and all my money went towards school, food and rent. I had no spare credits for anything else. So, I kept them.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yeah,” Hikaru answered, “To be honest, I thought I got rid of them a long time ago, but I guess I still have them. I can get rid of them if you want.”

Ben shook his head, “They’ve got a good story behind them. You might as well keep them.”

“No, I’ve have them for long enough,” Hikaru disagreed, grabbing the discarded underwear off the floor and throwing it into the incinerator, “It’s about time I got rid of them.”

Ben smiled, pulling Hikaru into a kiss.

“Plus, I never liked them that much, anyway.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikaru is an early bird and tries to keep quiet for Ben, but always fails.

Hikaru opened his eyes to see sunlight pouring into his bedroom. Smiling, he let out a yawn before sliding out of bed, as quietly as he could. If it wasn’t for Ben being an extremely light sleeper, Hikaru would give him a kiss. But Hikaru would constantly wake Ben up in the mornings and he felt terrible when he did. He tried to keep quiet, but Ben would stir at the slightest noise. Which made it next to impossible for Hikaru to begin his morning routine without waking his husband.

 

Hikaru tiptoed into the kitchen and replicated himself a cup of hot water. He silently opened the cupboards to grab his favourite tea. He put the tea leaves into a steeper and into the water. Turning around, he replicated himself a plate of toast and poached eggs, feeling far too tired to make any ‘real’ food. 

Just as he grabbed the plate and walked into the dining room, he stubbed his toe on the arch into the dining room; sending his plate crashing to the floor.

“Ah shit!” He cursed, bending over to clutch his throbbing foot. “Well I was being quiet...” He muttered to himself. Carefully, he stepped over the broken plate and destroyed food; he collapsed into the nearest dining chair and rubbed his aching foot. 

 

He was so focused on the pain, radiating from his toe that he didn’t even realize when Ben stumbled into the kitchen, looking exhausted. 

“Okay, what did you do?” Ben mumbled, walking towards Hikaru.

“Stubbed my toe,” Hikaru explained, pointing at his foot and then at the ground, “And dropped my plate.”

Ben’s right eyebrow raised. “Huh. Well, that certainly explains a lot,” Ben half chuckled.

“Did I wake you?” Hikaru asked.

“Yeah,” Ben answered, grabbing a cup of coffee and joining Hikaru at the table.

“I’m sorry I woke you...” Hikaru sighed, feeling like he failed Ben again.

“It’s fine, ‘Ru,” Ben murmured, taking a sip of his coffee, “Don’t worry about it.”

“But you always wake up because of me,” Hikaru replied, “You never get the amount of sleep that you want. It’s always determined by how long I can stay quiet for… which isn’t usually very long.”

Ben sighed, reaching forward and grabbing Hikaru’s hands, “‘Ru, it’s okay. I never said it wasn’t.” Ben pressed a soft kiss to Hikaru’s lips, “Plus, this way we can spend more time together. So it can’t be all that bad...right?”

Hikaru smiled, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Good,” Ben hummed, kissing Hikaru again. 

“Now, how about we clean this up,” Ben spoke, gesturing at the floor, “And after, I can make you some real food.”

Hikaru laughed, “That sounds great.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the five year expedition, they have weekly video conversations scheduled. This is the only way that Hikaru keeps any sense of time.

Five years in space, that’s a long time. If it wasn’t for the weekly video calls with his family, Hikaru would have no idea what day it was. Hikaru always looked forward to Friday, when Ben would call him after he was finished at work and baby Demora was asleep.

“Ben,” Hikaru hummed.

“Hey baby,” Ben murmured, resting his head on his hands. 

“How have you been?”

“Work has been tough, it’s hard to work just at home,” Ben sighed, “But Dem’s doing great. She doesn’t cry as regularly and she falls asleep much easier than she did last year.”

“That’s good,” Hikaru smiled, “Does that mean you sleep better?”

“Yeah, I sleep a lot better,” Ben laughed, “No more waking up at 2:00 in the morning.”

Hikaru chuckled before he asked, “Has her walking improved? Last time I checked, she was stumbling into furniture and had whacked her chin on the dining room table.”

“Well, her chin has fully healed, other than a small scar on the bottom of her chin,” Ben answered. “What about you, ‘Ru? What have you been doing?”

“We’ve been exploring, what Starfleet is calling the Omega Galaxy,” Hikaru explained, “It’s a lot of small planets and giant suns.”

“Have you visited any of the planets?”

“No, but in a month, we’re having a short shore leave on Risa.” Hikaru answered.

“Not Yorktown?” Ben questioned, confused.

Hikaru sighed, “No. I tried to convince Jim that we should head back home, but Starfleet declined.”

“Oh...” Ben let out, feeling let down. 

“I wish I could come home,” Hikaru added, “But it looks like that’s not going to happen, at least not right now.”

“I know,” Ben mumbled, “It’s just… it’s hard to be the only one at home, taking care of Dem. I just wish you were here...”

“Me too,” Hikaru muttered, “But, you’ve got Dem… I’m all alone out here.”

“You’re not alone ‘Ru,” Ben argued, “You’re surrounded by your friends, your second family. You are not alone.”

“But I-”

“You’re living your dream. You have two families and are the best pilot in the Federation,” Ben smiled, “You got all that you could ever want.”

“But I don’t have you...”

“You’ll always have me,” Ben murmured, “You haven’t lost me. I’m right here and I will be here when you come home. I’m not going anywhere.”

Hikaru smiled, “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

“You swept me off my feet and protected me,” Ben answered.

“I love you Ben.”

“I love you too, Hikaru.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has a massive family, and when on earth and they moved closer to them, Hikaru got used to waking up to a brother or a sister or a cousin crashing on their sofa. He’s not used to a family that is so up in your business, but he appreciates it in the end.

Hikaru still wasn’t used to Ben’s family showing up at their apartment at random intervals. Growing up with a small family, he was overwhelmed when he first met Ben’s gigantic family. 

_ “So, remind me… how many sisters do you have?” _

_ “I have four sisters,” Ben answered from the passenger’s seat of Hikaru’s hovercar. _

_ “I thought you had four brothers,” Hikaru spoke, glancing at Ben from the corner of his eye. _

_ “No, I have three brothers and four sisters,” Ben confirmed, “ _ _ Ayumu, Ryota and Souma _ _ are my brothers;  _ _ Mei, Rina, Aina and Rosalie  _ _ are my sisters.” _

_ Hikaru rubbed at his temples with his left hand, while he continued driving with the right. “Wow… big family...” He mumbled, trying to focus on the road. _

_ “Yeah,” Ben chuckled, “You have no idea how hectic the bathrooms were in the morning.” _

_ “And your mother is...” Hikaru paused to think, “Uh…  _ _ Kumiko, _ _ right?”  _

_ “Oooo, close,” Ben spoke, “ _ _ Tamiko _ _.  _ _ Kumiko _ _ is my aunt and my mother’s sister.” _

_ “AAAHH!” Hikaru let out, “How do you keep track of everyone?” _

_ “You get used to it,” Ben encouraged, giving Hikaru’s shoulder a squeeze. _

_ “What about Jiro and Jasper?” _

_ “Jasper is my uncle on my dad’s side,” Ben spoke, “Jiro, Takara and Isamu are his sons; Aka, Kokoro and Takako are his daughters.” _

_ “Does your uncle Jasper have a spouse?” _

_ “Yes, his husband Alex lives with him in New Jersey,” Ben added, “They have a huge apartment in the middle of city. It’s beautiful, I’ll take you with me when they invite me back.” _

_ “That sounds nice,” Hikaru hummed, “I’d love to...” _

 

* * *

 

Hikaru remembers the first time one of Ben’s cousins,  Taiki , came to their apartment at 4 in the morning because he got evicted. 

_ “Is he just going to sleep on our couch now?” Hikaru whispered to Ben, as they made their way back to their bedroom. _

_ “Yeah,” Ben answered, simply. _

_ “For how long?” _

_ Ben shrugged, “Until he can get another apartment and has enough credits to pay for it.” _

_ “But that could be eight more weeks!” Hikaru complained, climbing into their bed and under the covers. _

_ “Shhh,” Ben hushed, his eyes closing tiredly before sliding into bed behind Hikaru. “Don’t worry about it. They always do this...” _

_ “They?” Hikaru protested, louder than he meant to, “What do you mean they?” _

_ “The rest of my family,” Ben explained, wedging his head into the gap in between Hikaru’s shoulder and neck. “They always would show up and crash on my couch. Or come and take some of my groceries and return the favour a few weeks later. I’m just used to it.” _

_ “It’s weird,” Hikaru mumbled. _

_ “I don’t think so,” Ben answered, more than slightly offended. _

_ “I didn’t mean weird,” Hikaru tried to explain, “It’s just… different? I’m not used to that sort of thing and it makes me a little bit uncomfortable.” _

_ Ben sighed, “Well, they’re my family. I can’t just ask them to leave or tell them that they can’t stay with me.” Ben was silent for a moment before he continued. “We’re all so close and I can’t just kick them to the curb… please understand,” He pleaded, squeezing Hikaru against him. _

_ Hikaru made a muffled grumbling sound. _

_ “What was that?” _

_ “I know they’re important to you and you’re trying to help them.” Hikaru started, “I can’t say that I can understand because I’ve never been in that situation before, but I can try to.” _

_ Ben smiled into Hikaru’s shoulder, “Thank you ‘Ru.” _

_ “I’ll get used to it… it’s just going to take a while.” _

Taiki ended up staying at their flat for six weeks until he had enough money to rent another apartment. Hikaru missed him once he moved out.

 

* * *

 

The weirdest Hikaru ever felt was when Ben’s dad spent a weekend on their couch, due to a huge “Jung Family Reunion” being hosted at Ben’s childhood home. Ben’s dad,  Lynn , had rented out his house to their relatives that lived in Asia and had no other place to stay.

_ “I feel like he’s watching us, all the time,” Hikaru murmured, while Ben made dinner. _

_ “He just looking out for me,” Ben whispered back, “He ‘doesn’t want anyone to hurt his little Benny.’” _

_ “Benny?” Hikaru snickered, earning him a flick on the forehead. _

_ “It’s better than Benjamin,” Ben spoke, “I’ll take Benny any day over Benjamin.” _

_ “What’s wrong with Benjamin?” Hikaru asked, his hands on his hips; making him look cuter instead of intimidating. _

_ “I don’t know.” Ben shrugged, “My mother likes calling me Benjamin, but I prefer Ben; it’s short and sweet.” _

_ “Like me?” Hikaru asked, innocently. _

_ Ben struggled to not roll his eyes. “Yes, Hikaru,” Ben purred, wrapping his arms around Hikaru and leaning down to kiss his boyfriend. “Like you.”  _

_ “You two are adorable,” Lynn hummed from beside the couple, as he opened the fridge to grab a bottle of beer. _

_ The two men broke apart, cheeks blazing and heavily panting. Hikaru cleared his throat and took over Ben’s cooking, sending his partner into the living room to spend some time with his father. Some quality, not awkward at all, father-son time. _

 

* * *

 

But throughout the many years of Ben’s family crashing at their apartment, Ben’s family eventually became his own family. Hikaru began to appreciate and love having Ben’s family around. Within a year, Hikaru had met all of Ben’s cousins, 21 in total; as well as Ben’s seven siblings and his two parents. The next year, he met Ben’s 11 grandmothers and 3 grandfathers, his 4 aunts and his 5 uncles. And in one more year, Hikaru would meet all of Ben’s nephews, nieces, including the ones that never left Japan. 

Hikaru would welcome all of them, into their apartment, with open arms and a kiss on each cheek when they needed a place to stay.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, at their wedding, Hikaru was hit by a wave of euphoria when he saw every single member of their family crammed into their reception room. They were no longer Ben’s family and his family.

They were their family.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the academy, Hikaru wanted to take Ben flying as a date so he illegally takes out one of the training shuttles (he isn’t suspended but he is grounded for two weeks)

“Shuttle for Ben Jung?”

Ben looked up from the flowers he was arranging to the front door, where his boyfriend was standing. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and a pilot’s hat; he was leaning against the side arch of the door, looking absolutely stunning.

“Hikaru,” Ben exhaled. “What are you doing here?”

Hikaru just smiled as he approached Ben. He took Ben’s hands in his own and kissed them. “I want to fly with you,” He murmurs against Ben’s hands.

Ben feels a wave of electricity pass through him, setting him on fire. This is what he loves about Hikaru; every little thing they do together is an adventure, a mini thrill ride. It’s always something that warms his heart and excites him all at the same time.

“Okay,” Ben eventually says once he’s regained his breath and the smile that lights up Hikaru’s face makes it all worth it.

They share a long, sweet kiss until they break apart and Hikaru leads Ben out of the flower shop. Hikaru waits until Ben locks up before he wraps his arm around Ben’s back and guides him to the training shuttle he “borrowed” for their date.

“Wow,” Ben smiles, “You got permission from the Academy to take out one of their shuttles?”

“Yeah… I got their permission,” Hikaru winces to himself.

“That’s the most amazing thing anyone had ever done for me!” Ben continues, unaware of the consequences Hikaru would face upon he bringing the shuttle back to the Academy.

He turns his head towards Ben, surprised. “Really?” He asked in disbelief, “No one’s ever done anything like this for you?”

“No,” Ben answered, sadly, “People take advantage of me… because I’m too nice. They usually get things out of me, they don’t give or treat me to anything.”

Hikaru’s heart broke upon hearing Ben’s depressed voice. He was about to ask if he was okay when Ben spoke again.

“But this makes everything better,” Ben hummed, pulling Hikaru, by his shoulders, into a deep kiss. He broke it off a few minutes later, “Alright!” He smiled, climbing into the shuttle, “Let’s see what this thing can do.”

 

* * *

 

“Whoa, Hikaru!” Ben screeched, “Slow down, you’re going to kill us!”

Without looking, Hikaru reached over and squeezed Ben’s knee. “Don’t worry, Ben,” He spoke calmly, “I just need to get enough speed so we can break through the atmosphere.”

“Wait… what?” Ben asked, “You’re going to do what?”

“You might want to hold on to something,” Hikaru mumbled, increasing the altitude and incline of the shuttle.

“What?”

“Hold on to something!” Hikaru shouted, seconds before the shuttle shot out from the Earth’s atmosphere and into space.

“Holy shit, Hikaru,” Ben gasped, “A little warning next time would be great.”

Hikaru shrugged, “I did. I told you to hold on to something.”

Ben laughed, “Well, I suppose you did.”

“Anyway, enough of that,” Hikaru interjected, changing the subject. “What do you think?” He asked, gesturing at the stars surrounding them.

For the first time, Ben looked up and out the window of the shuttle. The sight in front of him took his breath away, “Wow,” He sighed, leaning forward on his elbows, accidentally pushing a few. At the noises they made, Ben shot back, terrified he did something wrong.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Hikaru reassured, kissing his cheek as he adjusted something from Ben’s console and flipped several switches to their appropriate position.

“It’s incredible,” Ben whispered, his eyes trailing over each individual star, “Thank you ‘Ru.”

Hikaru beamed, getting up to sit in Ben’s lap, “You’re welcome.”

 

* * *

 

They sat there for hours, exchanging light chitchat and gazing at the stars.

“So… Ben,” Hikaru begun.

Ben hummed in response.

“I’m not certain if it’s still true, but I hear that no one has ever made… love in space,” Hikaru murmured quietly, “Do you want to make history, Ben?”

Ben was blushing from head to toe. Unable to make eye contact with Hikaru, he gave a quick nod while staring out at the stars.

Hikaru grinned, “I was hoping you would say yes...”

 

When Hikaru flew Ben home he was the happiest he’d ever been. And when he took the shuttle back to the docking station, he didn’t even care that he was grounded for 2 weeks. He just had the best date of his life.

He taught Ben how to fly.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demora’s first word was ‘dada’ and Hikaru told everyone so many times that they started finishing his sentence.

Being on the Enterprise 24/7 had it’s benefits, being surrounded by an amazing crew, having 5 decks for recreation purposes and the honour of being helmsman of the best ship in the fleet. But, it also had it’s downfalls. Hikaru never got to see his little girl anymore. He was pried away from his family for the Enterprise’s 5 year mission before Demora turned one. It was heartbreaking for Hikaru; watching Ben’s pre recorded video of Demora’s first birthday, wishing that he could be with them, celebrating.

But he wasn’t.

But luckily, Hikaru is there when Demora says her first words.

“Dada,” Demora burbled, from Ben’s arms.

And Hikaru thinks he’s going to cry.

“Dada, fly.” Demora mumbles, squirming in Ben’s arms.

And that’s when Hikaru cries. He cries so hard and so long that he thinks he’s going to flood his quarters.

Ben murmurs to him.

“Shh, ‘Ru.”

“Shh, ‘Ru, it’s okay.”

“Oh ‘Ru, sweetie.”

 

When Hikaru finally stops crying, it’s time to end their call. Hikaru doesn’t want to, but he knows Dem needs to be tucked in and Ben needs to rest before Demora needs him again. They each say their goodbyes with red eyes and broken voices.

As soon as the call ends, Hikaru runs down to Nyota’s room and pounds on the door. Not bothering with the keypad. A groggy Nyota answers the door. She looks like she’s about to murder whoever woke her from her sleep; but upon seeing Hikaru’s bright smile, her glare drops.

“Dem spoke,” Hikaru says simply.

It takes a minute for Nyota to register what Hikaru said, but as soon as she does, she pulls him into a tight hug and drags him into her room, demanding to hear all the details.

 

* * *

 

It doesn’t take long for the word to spread. The whole bridge crew knows within a matter of hours and the rest of the crew finds out within 5 days of Hikaru knowing. But that doesn’t stop Hikaru from telling everyone he sees; everyone on the bridge, everyone he passes in the hall, the people that sit with him at his meals and who fence with him on Friday evenings.

The crew think it’s endearing, seeing Hikaru light up about Demora. They all go along with it for the first few weeks, but after months of Hikaru telling the same story, they all begin to finish his sentences; in hopes that Hikaru will talk about something else.

“So then Ben pulled her into his lap and-”

“She said Dada,” A young lieutenant from botany, mumbled.

“Uh, yeah...” Hikaru stuttered, “But then she-”

“Said, ‘Dada fly,’” Christine Chapel finished, sipping at her coffee.

“Okay… and after she-”

“Pointed at you and said ‘Dada’ about thirteen times,” Pavel muttered, poking at his dinner.

“Then she turned to Ben and threw up her breakfast on Ben’s chest,” Spock added.

“You two both laughed and groaned at it,” Jim continued, “More laughing from you and more groaning from Ben.”

“It took Ben three showers to remove the smell,” Scotty spoke.

“And after, Ben put Dem in her crib and she fell asleep instantly,” Bones hummed, leaning back in his chair.

“And you two talked for three more hours until Ben fell asleep at his desk chair.” Nyota finished.

Hikaru was stunned, _“Did they… just finish my story?”_ He asked himself. “Uh, how many times have I told you that story?” Hikaru asked hesitantly, slightly afraid of what the answer was.

“More times than we can count, laddie,” Scotty answered.

Hikaru winced. “Oh,” Hikaru let out, dejected, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Look, we get it,” Pavel spoke, sounding more annoyed than he meant to, “You have a family, you’re proud of your family and you love them.”

“But it feels like,” Jim began.

“You’re bragging and talking about them more than is necessary,” Scotty finished.

Hikaru doesnt know why he feels so feels so angry at that response, but he does. “You think you know what it feels like? No, you don’t know what if feels like! I have to wake up every morning, in a empty bed, in an empty room. I have to hope that light years away, my family is safe on a starbase on the edge of Federation space. You don’t have spouses or kids, you don’t know how hard it is to leave home when you have a baby and a partner that’s begging you to stay.”

Hikaru huffed, standing up from his chair so quickly, it crashed to the ground. He slammed his fists onto the table before shouting a quick, “I talk about my baby because it’s the only way I can feel close to my family and if you have a problem with that and you can’t understand why I talk about them, then you have no right to call yourself my friends.”

And with that, Hikaru turned on his heel and swiftly left the mess hall, leaving a stunned and scared bridge crew in his wake.

“Oh now you’ve done it,” Bones mumbled, glaring at the frozen crew before he stood up and left to find Hikaru.

“What have we done?” Pavel asked quietly, resting his face in his hands.

“We’ve just hurt our best friend,” Nyota murmured.

 

\----- _Bonus_ \-----

 

Twenty minutes later, Bones found Hikaru crying in Observation room 4. He sat next to him and offered him a bottle of bourbon. Hikaru took it and downed at least four glasses worth, before he set the bottle down on the ground.

They didn’t say anything, they just sat in silence, drinking. They didn’t need to say anything, they both knew each other’s pain. Though it was slightly different; from Bones’s divorce to Hikaru’s healthy marriage with Ben. But they both knew the pain of leaving your family behind. Bones who had Joanna on Earth and hadn’t seen her in over 6 years and Hikaru, who just had a daughter a year and a half ago, who was growing up without her second dad.

“You know they didn’t mean to hurt you, right?” Bones mumbled, taking a sip from the bottle before he passed it to Hikaru.

Hikaru sighed, “Yeah, I know. But it’s hard enough to be away from Ben and Demi and I thought if I talked about them, I would feel better.” Hikaru paused to drink a generous amount from the bottle. “But I can't even do that without being criticized,” He huffed, rubbing at his temples before he broke down again. Bones leaned over and brought Hikaru into a tight hug.

“I just wish that... they would try to understand how hard it is to leave them behind,” Hikaru croaked.

“Maybe one day they will,” Bones answered.

They sat there, watching the stars, until they finished off the bottle. They thought about opening another one, but they both had to work in the morning and they already had more than enough to last them until then.

They stumbled back to their own rooms, Hikaru fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Hikaru walked onto the bridge, hoping that the bridge crew wouldn’t be angry with him. To his surprise, the bridge was empty and most of the lights were off. Confused, he walked up to his console and found a note lying there.

 

_Hikaru,_

_We’re so sorry, we never meant to hurt you. We didn’t know how to apologize to you to make up for the damage we did last night. So, we arranged for two special someone to video call you on the bridge’s big screen to help remind you of home and help you feel better. Because they do a much better job at that than we do._

_We’re so sorry and we hope that one day you will forgive us._

_Signed, your shitty friends,_

_Jim, Spock, Pavel, Scotty, Nyota._

 

Hikaru felt happier after reading the card and knew he had already forgiven his friends. He was just about to comm them and apologize for last night, when his console lit up, signifying that someone was calling. Smiling to himself, he answered the call immediately.

“Hey sweetie,” A calm, rich voice spoke.

“Hey Ben,” Hikaru hummed, “It’s good to see you, again.”

 

_After the call ended, the bridge crew walked in and Hikaru apologized for his behaviour the previous night. They smiled and said it was them that were out of line. They all agree to a truce and hug it out. Hikaru thanks them for the video call and they take turns, rubbing his back and providing shoulders to cry on._


End file.
